Chris Lewis is 57 years old, a trainee counsellor and psychotherapist. He is married with two grown up daughters and graduated from Oxford with a degree in Modern History in the late 70s. He is also Bipolar.
Initially after suffering anxiety and panic attacks aged 16, things settled down enough for Chris to attend university. It wasn't until his second year that things took a turn for the worst.
His father had suffered a heart attack and this led Chris into a deep depression that could have cost him his degree without the help of university counsellors. Over the next 30 years he suffered from manic episodes, which even landed him in hospital in 2006 after becoming psychotic.
Recently, however, he has learnt to manage his condition and it has been five years since his last episode.
He agreed to talk to the Students' Union in anticipation of our mental health campaign, describing his own experiences while suffering with depression at university: "As a college, they were very supportive I'd say. They used to let me do what I wanted to do, but they would note what I was doing. So I used to wander off. I'd walk miles and miles and if I didn't come back within 24 hours they would let my parents and/or the police know. But no-one came rushing after me," he said.
"I did have some help from the student counsellors and I remember she said: 'What would happen if, instead of running away, you just stayed where you are?' And that was quite a powerful question, as that type of question can be.
"I did get a degree and my last year was quite productive. So I'm quite grateful because I think, the way I was going in my second year, I just wanted out."
Chris declined our offer to remain anonymous, as he felt that was part of the way to challenge the stigma surrounding mental health. He also explained his thoughts behind the possible stigma at university: "I think there is a stigma because there's fear. That's what's behind stigma, we tend to stigmatise what we don't understand. I think potentially university should be a very destigmatising place, because you've got people who are coming to terms with all sorts of things there; their sexuality, their health, but peer groups can be very unforgiving of difference.
"So one of the key things to do to destigmatise is what you're doing which is to talk about it and just bring it right out into the open."
They key thing is to talk to someone, Chris added, regardless of whether that's a close friend or relative, or someone from the Union or University.
"Whoever it is doesn't really matter actually, but it is important to try and relate to somebody and part of that is not so much what they are going to say or do, it's what you are able to talk about.
"Once you're on your own and the thoughts go round and round in circles you aren't able to get very far. So it's just bringing it out into the open."
Look out for our stalls this week educating students on mental health and the level of stigma perceived to be towards it.